During a collision between a front end of a vehicle and a pedestrian, the pedestrian may be thrown against a hood of the vehicle. During this movement, the head of the pedestrian may contact the hood, and more specifically, may contact a rear portion of the hood adjacent a windshield of the vehicle. The hood is typically formed of a thin material, such as a thin metal. As such, the hood may deform to absorb energy from the head of the pedestrian to reduce the likelihood of head injury to the pedestrian. Vehicles may be tested for a Head Injury Criteria (HIC), which is a biomechanical test to calculate potential of head injury of a pedestrian during impact with a vehicle.
In some vehicles, space is limited between the hood and underlying components, e.g., engine components. As such, deformation of the hood during impact with the head of the pedestrian may be limited by the underlying components, i.e., the hood may collide with the underlying components during impact with the head of the pedestrian. In such vehicles, a device may be incorporated into a hinge of the hood to raise the rear portion of the hood when impact with a pedestrian is imminent. This increases the space between the hood and underlying components and reduces the likelihood that the underlying components interfere with the deformation of the hood. This may positively affect the HIC for the vehicle.
Such devices for raising the rear portion of the hood add complexity to the design of the vehicle. For example, these devices may be incorporated into a body structure of the vehicle. In such a case, the body structure must be specifically designed to accommodate the device. Further, since the body structure of various vehicle models may be different, the body structure of each model must be specifically designed for the device, which adds cost and time to the design of the vehicle. Some devices for raising the rear portion of the hood may add complexity to the operation of the hinge, which may increase cost and time to the design of the vehicle and may affect the ease of use and durability of the hinge.
As such, there remains an opportunity to develop an improved device for raising a rear portion of the hood when impact with a pedestrian is imminent.